Inspired design and the art of driving

Inspired design has always been an integral part of the Art of Driving. Even the first Chrysler of 1924 rode forth with jaunty silver wings floating above its rounded radiator's gold ribbon badge. The immediate success of Walter Chrysler's "baby" attracted designers and engineers eager to give new form to its mechanical excellence.

As the Chrysler marque grew in stature and confidence, so too did its design signature, evolving into the chic custom Imperials of the early '30s. With their smartly veed radiator grilles, lengthy hoods and expansive "flying wing" fenders, these elegant automobiles were the epitome of the classic car era in American automotive design. But changes were coming.

With the innovative Airflow of 1934, Chrysler designers and engineers, led by Carl Breer, completely rethought the very shape of the automobile. By bringing the engine forward in the car and moving the passenger compartment both forward and down between the axles, they boldly recast the basic architecture of the automobile, forever divorcing it from its horseless carriage ancestry. Embellished with Art Deco details from the Chrysler Building, the Airflow's smooth, wind-cheating shape evoked the latest trends in streamlined trains and airplanes. Though the Airflow's exterior design proved too extreme for some, this first "cab-forward" car became the industry template for the modern motor car.

Under the guidance of custom body designer Raymond Dietrich, Chrysler designers also turned their attention to interiors. Beginning with the New York Special of 1938, they developed novel fabrics and color-keyed interior trims that set new standards for beauty and taste.

Seeking fresh challenges and dissatisfied by the usual drafty, creaky station wagons, in 1941 Chrysler introduced the steel-roofed Town & Country car, a concept that evolved postwar into a line of gleaming, highly varnished wood-bodied sedans and convertibles that were eagerly embraced by Hollywood celebrities as the pinnacle of glamour.

In 1949, the talented designer Virgil Exner joined Chrysler, concentrating at first on a series of innovative "idea cars." Sporting prominent grilles, low roofs and full wheel openings, they embraced the "pure automobile" design ethic Exner was striving to achieve. Many of these ideas reached production in 1955 with the very first Chrysler 300, fondly dubbed "the banker's hot rod." With its brawny Hemi® V-8, sculpted flanks, restrained trim and noble grillework, the 300 was the distilled essence of the Chrysler style—big, bold, brash—and yet beautiful.

The next Chrysler vehicles sprouted prominent tailfins, creating a wedge shape in side view that Exner espoused as "the shape of speed." Under Elwood Engel, Chrysler vehicles in the '60s lost their fins but remained big and bold. Even the first "small" car, the Cordoba of 1975, sported a central grille set between prominent headlight forms.

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